Maine Man Charged With Wife's Murder

The husband of a Maine woman whose body was discovered buried behind her Fairfield home has been arrested and charged with her murder. (Published Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016)

The husband of a Maine woman whose body was discovered buried behind her Fairfield home has been arrested and charged with her murder.

State police say they arrested Luc Tieman in Waterville, where he stayed overnight in a motel.

Tieman, 32, claimed that his wife Valerie Tieman had disappeared from their pickup truck after he had gone into a Wal-Mart and returned on August 30, according to state police.

In an interview with necn affiliate, WLBZ on Monday, Tieman said he didn't call police because he wanted to find Valerie on his own.

"I wasn't going to make her look bad," said Luc Tieman. "I was waiting for her to get into contact with her parents."

Valerie Tieman, 34, was reported missing to police on September 9 by her parents; her body was found in a wooded area about 200-300 yards behind the home she shared with her husband and his parents on Tuesday afternoon.

"The missing person case turned into a death investigation very quickly," said Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland. "Now, it's a homicide."

Police did not disclose the cause or manner of death. Court documents state Valerie Tieman died on August 25, five days before her husband claimed she went missing, and 16 days before she was reported missing.

"It's a strange juxtaposition of being mad, and thinking there must have been something that led to this," said Valerie's friend, Emily Fournier.

She described the husband and wife as the "perfect couple," and said there were never any signs of serious issues in their three-year marriage.

Luc Tieman did not resist arrest and was taken to Somerset County Jail. It's unclear if he has an attorney.